The 65-year-old British base jumper dies in Italy after jumping off a mountain in a wingsuit

A British base jumper has died after falling 400 meters from a mountaintop in Italy.

Mark Andrews, 65, originally from Redruth, Cornwall, was killed instantly after falling off a cliff face in Trentino while wearing a wingsuit.

It is believed that he was wearing a parachute. However, it remains unclear whether he could not use this. Police say the exact circumstances are still under investigation.

The tragic accident happened on Saturday morning at a popular base jumping spot in the Italian Dolomites in Paganella, near the city of Trento.

According to reports, Mr Andrews went to the site alone before another base jumper called the emergency services after witnessing the horrific incident.

It is believed that Mr Andrews died near the spot where another British parachutist had died exactly a year earlier.

Despite being a newcomer to the sport, Mr. Andrews had completed over 600 jumps (Source: learntobasejump Instagram)

Mark Andrews (pictured center) with members of the Learn To Base Jump base jumping group

The tragic accident happened on Saturday morning at a popular base jumping spot in the Italian Dolomites in Paganella, near the city of Trento

Mr. Andrews, who had lived with his wife in Bucharest, Romania, was an avid base jumping enthusiast and often posted clips of his antics.

He had also lived in Russia.

The 65-year-old retired engineer is said to have been a relative newcomer to base jumping as a sport, but had completed almost 600 jumps before his death.

A mountain rescue helicopter was used to retrieve his body and he was later flown to a nearby hospital to await repatriation.

One base jumper who knew Mark said, “He was a fairly late entrant to base jumping.” He’s only been doing it since 2014, but he’s accomplished a lot in those nine years.

“He was fearless and we will miss him.” He was a regular at various base jumping events in Italy, but has also BASE jumped off bridges and skyscrapers around the world.

“He lived in Moscow for several years and was a drilling engineer, but then moved to Bucharest, where his wife is from.”

Mr Andrews, who was from Redruth in Cornwall, was last residing in Moscow, according to his Facebook profile

According to police, Mr Andrews lived with his wife in the Romanian capital, Bucharest

Mr. Andrews, who had lived with his wife in Bucharest, Romania, was an avid base jumping enthusiast and often posted clips of his antics. He is pictured during a previous jump

Another base jumper said: “The area where the accident happened is one of the most dangerous and is only considered by experts as it is quite difficult.”

“It’s not a direct descent, there are ledges of rock and trees for the first 400 meters before then 1500 meters straight downhill.”

“Also, you have to be aware of the wind, and that’s why only experienced professionals jump from this point, others make their way to another place about 30 km away at Mt. Brenta.”

Clips on his Instagram show the daredevil leaping from awe-inspiring mountain peaks in countries across Europe; including Norway, Italy and Russia.

He was a member of the base jumping group Lean To Base Jump.

A person who answered the phone at their Swiss headquarters confirmed they knew Mark but declined to discuss the accident.

The Foreign Office told MailOnline: “We are in contact with local police and supporting his family following the death of a Briton in Italy.”

Dylan Morris Roberts, 33, (pictured) died instantly after crashing into a ravine on Mount Cimone on June 2, 2022

BASE jumping involves jumping off solid objects and parachuting down to the ground and its bases for buildings, antennas, spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs).

Extreme sports have killed more than 400 people in the last twenty years.

According to Italian media reports, another British base jumper died near the spot where Mr Andrews died on the same day last year.

Dylan Morris Roberts, 33, died instantly after hitting a ravine on Mount Cimone on June 2, 2022. He was killed after jumping from an 800m high ledge called “Happy Birthday” on the 1500m high Monte Brento in the northern Italian region of Trentino.

It is believed the professional base jumper’s parachute failed to deploy and his friends believed he might have miscalculated his trajectory.

Observers said he fell 200m and appeared to hit the mountainside after takeoff, and his body was recovered by mountain rescue teams.

The 33-year-old was a veteran skydiver who had performed dozens of jumps and was also a former instructor at UK skydiving schools.

He had combined his love of skydiving with the extreme sport of base jumping.